Kolkata, Aug 1 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday assured acclaimed Bangladeshi writer and poet Taslima Nasrin of absolute safety whenever she visits Kolkata.
“I am responsible for providing you with security in a secure West Bengal. You can come and speak as often as you want and whenever you want. The present West Bengal is free from chains and restrictions. Everyone has the opportunity to enjoy freedom of speech. Intimidation is a thing of the past. Today it is proven that democracy, constitution, fundamental rights and freedom of speech are protected in the hands of the new state government,” Adhikari said while addressing a cultural programme in Kolkata where Nasrin was the keynote speaker.
On Friday, Nasrin returned to Kolkata nearly 19 years after leaving due to violence in 2007 triggered by her book Dwikhandito (The Bifurcated) during the tenure of then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
On Saturday, she addressed a cultural programme at Rabindra Sadan in Central Kolkata organised by various cultural groups, including Secular Mission, where Adhikari was also present.
At the programme, the Chief Minister requested Nasrin to henceforth come to Kolkata without fear and guaranteed her safety and security.
In 2007, pockets of Kolkata turned into battlefields over the publication of Dwikhandito. Tensions broke out in minority-dominated areas, forcing the administration to deploy the Army. The then Left Front government banned the circulation of the book and asked Nasrin to leave the city.
The unwritten ban continued during the Trinamool Congress government from 2011 to 2016. Literary circles nationally criticised the CPI(M)-led Left Front government for succumbing to pressure from fundamentalist groups.
Even during the 15 years of the Trinamool Congress regime from 2011 to 2026, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not take any initiative to ensure Nasrin’s return to Kolkata.
–IANS
src/dan
